All high achieving people tend to have one thing in common: they set goals for themselves. It allows you to see where you are going in the long term, which in turn motivates you in the short term.

1. SETTING GOALS ALLOWS YOU TO SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE

You know how it is, when you first set out to do something, you have that real fire and drive which helps you focus and get things done.

Then, the roller coaster of life kicks in and the inevitable downs, frustrations and obstacles start getting in the way of you achieving your goal. It’s at that point that it’s useful to look at your goals and remind yourself what you’re trying to do in the long term. It reminds you what you’re trying to accomplish and helps you find the drive to work through the difficult patches.

2. SETTING GOALS HELPS YOU BELIEVE

By making something a goal, giving it a deadline and doing a little bit every day to work towards your goal, your goal becomes achievable.

As you can then see yourself slowly progressing towards your desire, you begin to see it within your grasp, and then you believe even more in what you’re doing.

3. SETTING GOALS HELPS YOU REALISE WHAT’S IMPORTANT

Sometimes we don’t actually know what we want – we may think that if we just got a job paying more money we’d be happy; but actually we just want to be doing something we’re passionate about or spending more time with our loved ones.

Setting goals helps you work out what’s important to you. At different stages in your life different things may be important to you, so goal setting is an ongoing process. It encourages you to really search for the answers inside yourself. Figure out what it is you want and then go out and do it!

4. SETTING GOALS HELPS YOU ACHIEVE YOUR POTENTIAL

If we didn’t set goals for ourselves, all of us would probably just plod along, living in our comfort zone. However to really grow we need to do things that challenge us and make us uncomfortable.

Pursuing a new career is scary – it’s venturing into the unknown. How do you even know you’ll be any good at it? How do you know what will happen if you take a leap of faith? The answer is you don’t know.

However, by setting new targets, you have the potential to reach new heights and surprise yourself with exactly how much you can achieve.

5. SETTING GOALS HELPS YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF LIFE

If you have a clear idea of where you’re going; then there is more chance that you will end up doing what you want and need to do.

Each of us is only here for a limited amount of time, best not to waste it doing things that don’t further our aspirations in life.

I finish with an inspirational quote by Mary Kate Ash:

An average person with average talents and ambition and average education, can outstrip the most brilliant genius in our society, if that person has clear, focused goals.

If you need a career coach to help you set goals and focus on the right career path for you, check out our Career Coaches for Doctors.

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Sara Sabin

With a solid corporate background, Sara specialises in advising doctors in how to prepare a non-medical CV and how to prepare for a non-medical interview. She is also the Co-Founder of Medic Footprints.

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